How This Dramatic B&W Photo Was Captured: The Making of "Summer Storm"

Shutterbug reader Kathleen Finnerty confesses that she “loves the drama of incoming summer storm clouds, especially over bodies of water,” so we can imagine her excitement when she spotted this scene on the horizon.

“On this particular day,” Finnerty says, “I observed the darkening skies and headed to the Gulf to see if I could capture some interesting images.”

This dramatic photo was shot from Madeira Beach, Florida, with a Nikon D300 and a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 lens at ISO 200, f/8, and 1/2000 second in aperture priority mode. The image was later converted to black and white in Photoshop.

As to what inspired that black-and-white conversion, she says, “My all-time favorite landscape photographer is Clyde Butcher. I truly believe his black-and-white landscape images of Florida have inspired many to revere and respect what’s left of our state’s precious wild places, which are dwindling fast. Black and white makes you ‘view’ the image, not be enthralled by some bright spot of color.”